"We all need to network with each other..."

This is an excerpt from an article, CHANGING ATITUDES – THE PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES OF UGANDA:

SOMEWHERE IN UGANDA, A CHILD SITS ALONE in his backyard day after day. He is one of many disabled children in the country who do not have access to support like wheelchairs and crutches, and their environment itself poses its own obstacles. They are often denied the opportunity to go to school, and without an education they become the poorest of the poor.
According to Elijah Musenyente of Uganda’s Society of Hidden Talents (HITS), Uganda’s tradition has it that disability is a curse, bad luck or omen. The disabled are often kept in the backyard for fear of shaming the family. They are denied the right to go to school, marry and hold a job. Even if they escape their family’s confinement, it remains difficult to make a living when equipped with very little skills.
HITS works at the community level to teach the disabled as well as the able-bodied life skills and to build their confidence. It is also important to work with the community as a whole. One of the greatest challenges in improving the rights and opportunities for disabled people within society in Uganda is convincing the population at large of the potential and capacities held by the disabled.
“We raise awareness for people to understand that disabled people are also human beings, they are the same as others,” Richard Mugisha, director of People with Disabilities Uganda (PWDU), told me.
He said that a change in attitude is needed at all levels of society, perhaps most importantly at the government level, where the disabled are often not considered when economic opportunities arise.
The PWDU works throughout Uganda to change the fate of many children who, aside from growing up in a poverty stricken nation, face even greater obstacles due to their disabilities.